Ways of Understanding Teaching

facilitated by

Dr. Joyce WeinsheimerGeorgia Institute of Technology

joyce.weinsheimer@cetl.gatech.edu

co-sponsored by the

North Carolina State University Office of Faculty Development

& ACC Academy of Teaching Scholars

Most teachers have been lifelong learners. At some point in these

journeys, teachers need to develop a personal understanding of what

learning and teaching mean.

Steve J. Thien

A Case Study:

From Professional to Professor

Teaching as TellingTheory #1 Focus: Teacher & Content

Goal of teaching: • transmit authoritative content • demonstrate procedures

Good teaching requires: • content expertise• the ability to present knowledge

clearly

Improving teaching involves:• organizing ideas coherently• mastering delivery techniques

Teaching as Organizing Student Activity

Theory #2 Focus: Teaching Techniques that Engage Students

Goal of teaching:• elicit student activity and the construction of knowledge

Good teaching requires:• actively engaging students

Improving teaching involves:• expanding one’s repertoire of strategies for involving students

Ways of Understanding Teaching

Teaching as Telling

Emma is excited about her new teaching position. How will her approach serve her well as a teacher?

Given your experience, what do you predict might dampen Emma’s enthusiasm for teaching? How might Emma’s current way of understanding teaching eventually lead to frustration?

Teaching as Organizing StudentActivity

Michael is excited about his teaching. How might his approach serve him well as a teacher?

Given your experience, what might dampen Michael’s enthusiasm for teaching? How might Michael’s current way of understanding teaching eventually lead to frustration?

Teaching as Making Learning PossibleTheory #3 Focus: Interaction between Students,

Subject Matter, & Teacher

Goal of teaching:• make it possible for students to understand subject matter

Good teaching requires:•understanding students’ ways of thinking about the subject matter •engaging students in activities suited to the subject matter and the disciplinary context that are designed to promote learning

Improving teaching involves:•an on-going venture about promoting learning that one engages in with colleagues throughout one’s teaching career

Making student learning possible (Theory #3)

is causing many in higher education to re-think who they are as teachers

and what they do in the classroom.

Activity

1. Read the handout Ways of Understanding Teaching.

2. Select a quote that you identify with or that intrigues you.

3. Interview a workshop participant, asking which quote the person chose and why. Discuss your quote, then move on to interview someone else.

How does learner-centered teaching differ from

student-centered teaching?

According to Maryellen Weimer, author of Learner-Centered Teaching,

there is a significant difference between these concepts.

“Being student-centered implies a focus on student needs. It is an orientation that gives rise to the idea of education as a product, with the student as the customer and the role of the faculty as one of serving and satisfying the customer…

Being learner-centered focuses attention squarely on learning:

• what the student is learning,• how the student is learning,• the conditions under which the student is learning,• whether the student is retaining and applying the

learning, and• how current learning positions the student for

future learning.”

Teaching for Learning: Putting Theory #3 into Practice

Read: • Guiding Principles to Use When Teaching for Learning

Consider:• Which of these principles are you currently using?

• Which principles hold potential for you as you increasingly strive to teach for learning?

Time to Reflect!

Consider:

• Guiding Principles to Use When Teaching for Learning

• Our Knowledge of Good Teaching

Ways of Understanding Teaching:

I am a teacher who…I want to…I intend to improve student learning in my classes

by…

Gallery Tour of Ideas

Good teaching is a journey, not a destination.

Enjoy the trip!